A coordinated operation blocked an attempted mass crossing near Svenchionys, after men cut the fence and guided migrants from Belarus into Lithuania.

Over the past 24 hours, Lithuanian border guards pushed back 18 migrants who attempted to illegally cross the border from Belarus. According to the Lithuanian Border Guard Service, this information came from the VSAT service.

11 of these migrants were spotted on Friday in the Švenčionys District of Lithuania. They were escorted to the border from the forest on the Belarusian side by two men, one of whom began cutting the barrier installed by the Lithuanian side using a specialized tool.

After damaging the lower coils of the barbed wire and creating a gap under the fence, 11 people crossed into the country.

This year, this is the first such incident where, presumably, individuals connected with Belarusian services or those who encounter no resistance on their side have damaged the physical barrier and directed illegal migrants toward Lithuania.

– VSAT

Circumstances of the detention and the border guards’ actions

In response, border guards from Adutiškis blocked the surrounding areas and roads, and a service-dog handler arrived at the scene and began following the tracks. The migrants who surfaced at the edge of the clearings were spotted from the air by a VSAT helicopter crew.

During the detention, 11 men did not resist. The youngest migrant was 21 years old, and the oldest 26. Five stated they were Pakistani citizens, another five Afghan, one Iranian. Seven migrants had documents, the rest did not.

This year, a total of 76 illegal migrants have not been admitted to Lithuania. In 2025, attempts to illegally cross the border from Belarus were recorded at over 1,600 times, and the year before that – 1,002 times.

“This year, the flow of migrants is still lower than in previous years. Overall this year, 118 migrants attempted to reach Latvia unsuccessfully, 95 to Poland, and 76 to Lithuania,” the border guards reported.

The situation at the border with Belarus remains tense, but border guards continue with intensified security and operational measures to prevent new crossing attempts.